Single copy genomic hybridization probes and method of generating same

ABSTRACT

Nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) hybridization probes are described which comprise a labeled, single copy nucleic acid which hybridizes to a deduced single copy sequence interval in target nucleic acid of known sequence. The probes, which are essentially free of repetitive sequences, can be used in hybridization analyses without adding repetitive sequence-blocking nucleic acids. This allows rapid and accurate detection of chromosomal abnormalities. The probes are preferably designed by first determining the sequence of at least one single copy interval in a target nucleic acid sequence, and developing corresponding hybridization probes which hybridize to at least a part of the deduced single copy sequence. In practice, the sequences of the target and of known genomic repetitive sequence representatives are compared in order to deduce locations of the single copy sequence intervals. The single copy probes can be developed by any variety of methods, such as PCR amplification, restriction or exonuclease digestion of purified genomic fragments, or direct synthesis of DNA sequences. This is followed by labeling of the probes and hybridization to a target sequence.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/573,080 filed May 16, 2000, which is incorporated by reference herein.

SEQUENCE LISTING

The sequence listing for this application is identical to the sequence listing that was accepted for U.S. application Ser. No. 09/573,080, filed May 16, 2000. Use of this compliance sequence listing for the present application is respectfully requested. The computer readable copy submitted for this application is identical to the previously accepted readable copy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is broadly concerned with a method for designing single copy hybridization probes useful in the fields of cytogenetics and molecular genetics for determining the presence of specific nucleic acid sequences in a sample of eukaryotic origin, e.g., the probes may be used to analyze specific chromosomal locations by in situ hybridization as a detection of acquired or inherited genetic diseases. More particularly, the invention pertains to such probes, hybridization methods of use thereof and techniques for developing the probes, where the probes are essentially free of genomic repeat sequences, thereby eliminating the need for disabling of repetitive sequences which is required with conventional probes.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Chromosome abnormalities are associated with various genetic disorders, which may be inherited or acquired. These abnormalities are of three general types, extra or missing individual chromosomes (aneuploidy), extra or missing portions of chromosomes (including deletions, duplications, supernumerary and marker chromosomes), or chromosomal rearrangements. The latter category includes translocations (transfer of a piece from one chromosome onto another chromosome), inversions (reversal in polarity of a chromosomal segment), insertions (transfer of a piece from one chromosome into another chromosome) and isochromosomes (chromosome arms derived from identical chromosomal segments). The abnormalities maybe present only in a subset of cells (mosaicism), or in all cells. Inherited or constitutional abnormalities of various types occur with a frequency of about one in every 250 human births, with results which may be essentially benign, serious or even lethal. Chromosomal abnormalities are common and often diagnostic in acquired disorders such as leukemia and other cancers.

Hybridization probes have been developed in the past for chromosome analysis and diagnosis of abnormalities. The probes comprise clone or amplified genomic sequences or cDNA. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,447,841, 5,663,319 and 5,756,696 describe hybridization probes in the form of labeled nucleic acids which are complementary to nucleic acid segments within target chromosomal DNA. However, these probes contain repetitive sequences and therefore must be used in conjunction with blocking nucleic acids which are substantially complementary to repetitive sequences in the labeled probes. That is, these prior art probes are either pre-reacted with the blocking nucleic acids so as to bind and block the repetitive sequences therein, or such blocking nucleic acids are present in the hybridization reaction mixture. If the repetitive sequences in the probes are not disabled in some manner, the probes will react with the multiple locations in the target chromosomal DNA where the repetitive sequences reside and will not specifically react with the single copy target sequences. This problem is particularly acute with interspersed repeat sequences which are widely scattered throughout the genome, but also is present with tandem repeats clustered or contiguous on the DNA molecule. The requirement for repeat sequence disabilization by using complementary blocking nucleic acids reduces the sensitivity of the existing probes. Reliable, easily detectable signals require DNA probes of from about 40-100 kb.

The prior art also teaches that cloned probes presumed to contain single copy sequences can be identified based on their lack of hybridization to genomic DNA. In these other studies, hybridization is first performed with probes that contain pools of clones in which each recombinant DNA clone has been individually selected so that it hybridizes to single-copy sequences or very low copy repetitive sequences. A prerequisite step in this prior art is to identify single copy sequences by experimental hybridization of labeled genomic DNA to a candidate DNA probe by Southern or dot-blot hybridization. Positive hybridization with labeled total genomic DNA usually indicates that the candidate DNA probe contains a repetitive sequence and eliminates it from consideration as a single copy probe. Furthermore, an experimental hybridization of a DNA probe with total genomic DNA may fail to reveal the presence of multicopy repetitive sequences that are not abundant (<100 copies) or are infrequent in the genome. Such sequences represent a small fraction of the labeled genomic DNA and the signal they contribute will be below the limits of detection.

It has also been suggested to physically remove repeat sequences from probes by experimental procedures (Craig et al., Hum. Genet., 100:472-476 (1997); Durm et al., Biotech., 24:820-825 (1998)). This procedure involves prehybridizing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified genomic probe with an excess of purified repetitive sequence DNA prior to applying the probe to the DNA target. The resulting purified probe is depleted of repetitive sequences. This procedure is in principle very similar to other procedures that disable the hybridization of repetitive sequences in probes, but the technique is time-consuming and does not provide any advantages over the probes described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,447,841 and 5,756,696.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the problem outlined above and provides nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) hybridization probes comprising a labeled, single copy nucleic acid which hybridizes with a deduced single copy sequence interval in target nucleic acid of known sequence. Generally speaking, the probes of the invention are designed by comparing the sequence of a target nucleic acid with known repeat sequences in the genome of which the target is a part; with this information it is possible to deduce the single copy sequences within the target (i.e., those sequences which are essentially free of repeat sequences which, due to the lack of specificity, can mask the hybridization signal of the single copy sequences). As can be appreciated, these initial steps require knowledge of the sequences both of the target and genomic repeats, information which is increasingly available owing to the Human Genome Project and related bioinformatic studies. Furthermore, readily available computer software is used to derive the necessary single copy sequences.

The probes hereof are most preferably complementary to the target sequence, i.e., there is a 100% complementary match between the probe nucleotides and the target sequence. More broadly, less than 100% correspondence probes can be used, so long as the probes adequately hybridize to the target sequence, e.g., there should be at least about 80% sequence identity between the probe and a sequence which is a complement to target sequences, more preferably at least about 90% sequence identity.

Nucleic acid fragments corresponding to the deduced single copy sequences can be generated by a variety of methods, such as PCR amplification, restriction or exonuclease digestion of purified genomic fragments, or direct nucleic acid synthesis. The single copy fragments are then purified to remove any potentially contaminating repeat sequences, such as, for example, by electrophoresis or denaturing high pressure liquid chromatography; this is highly desirable because it eliminates spurious hybridization and detection of unrelated genomic sequences.

The probe fragments may then be cloned into a recombinant DNA vector or directly labeled. The probe is preferably labeled by nick translation using a modified or directly labeled nucleotide. The labeled probe is then denatured and hybridized, preferably to fixed chromosomal preparations on microscope slides or alternately to purified nucleic acid immobilized on a filter, slide, DNA chip, or other substrate. The probes can then be hybridized to chromosomes according to conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,985,549 or 5,447,841; alternately, they can be hybridized to immobilized nucleic acids according to the techniques described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,110,920 or 5,273,881. Probe signals may be visualized by any of a variety of methods, such as those employing fluorescent, immunological or enzymatic detection reagents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-12 are respective CCD camera images of FISH experiments wherein various gene-specific digoxigenin-dUTP labeled probes were hybridized on metaphase cells and detected with rhodamine conjugated antibody to digoxigenin and where the chromosomes were counterstained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Chromosomes with one or both chromatids hybridized are indicated by arrows whereas a star indicates the absence of normally expected hybridizations. In particular,

FIG. 1 illustrates hybridization results using the 5170 bp HIRA probe described in Example 1, and wherein the probe was reacted with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 2 illustrates a comparative hybridization identical to that depicted in FIG. 1, using the same 5170 bp HIRA probe but without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 3 illustrates hybridization results using the 3544 bp 15q11-q13 probe pre-reacted with purified repetitive DNA;

FIG. 4 illustrates results in a comparative experiment using the 3544 bp 15q11-q13 probe without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA;

FIG. 5 illustrates hybridization results using the 4166 bp, 3544 bp and 2290 bp 15q11-q13 probes described in Example 2, without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 6 illustrates hybridization results using the 5170 bp, 3691 bp, 3344 bp and 2848 bp HIRA probes described in Example 1 without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 7 illustrates hybridization results using the 4823 bp 1p36.3 probe described in Example 2 on metaphase cells of a normal individual, with pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 8 illustrates a comparative hybridization result using the 4823 bp 1p36.3 probe of FIG. 7 without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences;

FIG. 9 illustrates hybridization results using the 4724 bp and 4823 bp 1p36.3 probes described in Example 2 with pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences, and wherein single copy hybridizations were observed on homologous pairs of chromosome 1s;

FIG. 10 illustrates a comparative hybridization result using the 4724 bp and 4823 bp 1p36.3 probes described in Example 2 without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA sequences, and depicting the same single copy hybridizations shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates hybridization results using the 4166 bp, 3544 bp and 2290 bp 15q11-q13 probes described in Example 2 without pre-reaction with purified DNA sequences on metaphase cells of a patient affected with Prader-Willi syndrome and known to harbor a deletion of 15q11-q13 sequences for one chromosomal allele, with a star indicating lack of hybridization at the deleted chromosome position and with the arrow indicating hybridization to a single chromosome; and

FIG. 12 illustrates hybridization results using the 3691 bp, 3344 bp and 2848 bp HIRA probes described in Example 1 without pre-reaction with purified DNA sequences on metaphase cells of a patient affected with DiGeorge/Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS) known to harbor a deletion of 22q11.2 sequences, wherein the star indicating lack of hybridization at the deleted chromosome position and the arrow indicating a normal homolog.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is concerned with nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) hybridization probes useful for detection of genetic or neoplastic disorders. The probes are in the form of labeled nucleic acid fragments or a collection of labeled nucleic acid fragments whose hybridization to a target sequence can be detected. The invention also pertains to methods of developing, generating and labeling such probes, and to uses thereof.

The labeled probes hereof may be used with any nucleic acid target that may potentially contain repetitive sequences. These target sequences may include, but are not limited to chromosomal or purified nuclear DNA, heteronuclear RNA, or mRNA species that contain repetitive sequences as integral components of the transcript. In the ensuing detailed explanation, the usual case of a DNA target sequence and DNA probes is discussed; however, those skilled in the art will understand that the discussion is equally applicable (with art-recognized differences owing to the nature of the target sequences and probes) to other nucleic acid species.

An important characteristic of the probes of the invention is that they are made up of “single copy” or “unique” DNA sequences which are both complementary to at least a portion of the target DNA region of interest and are essentially free of sequences complementary to repeat sequences within the genome of which the target region is a part. Accordingly, a probe made up of a single copy or unique sequence is complementary to essentially only one sequence in the corresponding genome. As used herein, a “repeat sequence” is a sequence which repeatedly appears in the genome of which the target DNA is a part, with a sequence identity between repeats of at least about 60%, more preferably at least about 80%, and which is of sufficient length or has other qualities which would cause it to interfere with the desired specific hybridization of the probe to the target DNA, i.e., the probe would hybridize with multiple copies of the repeat sequence. Generally speaking, a repeat sequence appears at least about 10 times in the genome (more preferably at least about 50 times, and most preferably at least about 200 times) and has a length of at least about 50 nucleotides, and more preferably at least about 100 nucleotides. Repeat sequences can be of any variety, e.g., tandem, interspersed, palindromic or shared repetitive sequences (with some copies in the target region and some elsewhere in the genome), and can appear near the centromeres of chromosomes, distributed over a single chromosome, or throughout some or all chromosomes. Normally, with but few exceptions, repeat sequences do not express physiologically useful proteins.

Repetitive sequences occur in multiple copies in the haploid genome. The number of copies can range from two to hundreds of thousands, wherein the Alu family of repetitive DNA are exemplary of the latter numerous variety. The copies of a repeat may be clustered or interspersed throughout the genome. Repeats may be clustered in one or more locations in the genome, for example, repetitive sequences occurring near the centromeres of each chromosome, and variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) Nakamura et al, Science, 235: 1616 (1987); or the repeats may be distributed over a single chromosome for example, repeats found only on the X chromosome as described by Bardoni et al., Cytogenet. Cell Genet., 46: 575 (1987); or the repeats may be distributed over all the chromosomes, for example, the Alu family of repetitive sequences.

Simple repeats of low complexity can be found within genes but are more commonly found in non-coding genomic sequences. Such repeated elements consist of mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, or penta-nucleotide core sequence elements arrayed in tandem units. Often the number of tandem units comprising these repeated sequences varies at the identical locations among genomes from different individuals. These repetitive elements can be found by searching for consecutive runs of the core sequence elements in genomic sequences.

As used herein, “sequence identity” refers to a relationship between two or more polynucleotide sequences, namely a reference sequence and a given sequence to be compared with the reference sequence. Sequence identity is determined by comparing the given sequence to the reference sequence after the sequences have been optimally aligned to produce the highest degree of sequence similarity, as determined by the match between strings of such sequences. Upon such alignment, sequence identity is ascertained on a position-by-position basis, e.g., the sequences are “identical” at a particular position if at that position, the nucleotides are identical. The total number of such position identities is then divided by the total number of nucleotides or residues in the reference sequence to give % sequence identity. Sequence identity can be readily calculated by known methods, including but not limited to, those described in Computational Molecular Biology, Lesk, A. N., ed., Oxford University Press, New York (1988), Biocomputing: Informatics and Genome Projects, Smith, D. W., ed., Academic Press, New York (1993); Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part I, Griffin, A. M., and Griffin, H. G., eds., Humana Press, New Jersey (1994); Sequence Analysis in Molecular Biology, von Heinge, G., Academic Press (1987); Sequence Analysis Primer, Gribskov, M. and Devereux, J., eds., M. Stockton Press, New York (1991); and Carillo, H., and Lipman, D., SIAM J. Applied Math., 48: 1073 (1988). Preferred methods to determine the sequence identity are designed to give the largest match between the sequences tested. Methods to determine sequence identity are codified in publicly available computer programs which determine sequence identity between given sequences. Examples of such programs include, but are not limited to, the GCG program package (Devereux, J., et al., Nucleic Acids Research, 12(1):387 (1984)), BLASTP, BLASTN and FASTA (Altschul, S. F. et al., J. Molec. Biol., 215:403-410(1990). The BLASTX program is publicly available from NCBI and other sources (BLAST Manual, Altschul, S. et al., NCBI, NLM, NIH, Bethesda, Md. 20894, Altschul, S. F. et al., J. Molec. Biol., 215:403-410 (1990)). These programs optimally align sequences using default gap weights in order to produce the highest level of sequence identity between the given and reference sequences. As an illustration, by a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence having at least, for example, 95% “sequence identity” to a reference nucleotide sequence, it is intended that the nucleotide sequence of the given polynucleotide is identical to the reference sequence except that the given polynucleotide sequence may include up to 5 differences per each 100 nucleotides of the reference nucleotide sequence. In other words, in a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence having at least 95% identity relative to the reference nucleotide sequence, up to 5% of the nucleotides in the reference sequence may be deleted or substituted with another nucleotide, or a number of nucleotides up to 5% of the total nucleotides in the reference sequence may be inserted into the reference sequence. Inversions in either sequence are detected by these computer programs based on the similarity of the reference sequence to the antisense strand of the homologous test sequence. These variants of the reference sequence may occur at the 5′ or 3′ terminal positions of the reference nucleotide sequence or anywhere between those terminal positions, interspersed either individually among nucleotides in the reference sequence or in one or more contiguous groups within the reference sequence.

The single copy probes of the invention preferably should have a length of at least about 50 nucleotides, and more preferably at least about 100 nucleotides. Probes of this length are sufficient for Southern blot analyses. However, if other analyses such as FISH are employed, the probes should be somewhat longer, i.e., at least about 500 nucleotides, and more preferably at least about 2000 nucleotides in length. The probes can be used to detect virtually any type of chromosomal rearrangement, such as deletions, duplications, insertions, additions, inversions or translocations.

In order to develop probes in accordance with the invention, the sequence of the target DNA region must be known. The target region may be an entire chromosome or only portions thereof where rearrangements have been identified. With this sequence knowledge, the objective is to determine the boundaries of single copy or unique sequences within the target region. This is preferably accomplished by inference from the locations of repetitive sequences within the target region. Normally, the sequence of the target region is compared with known repeat sequences from the corresponding genome, using available computer software. Once the repeat sequences within the target region are identified, the intervening sequences are deduced to be single copy (i.e., the sequences between adjacent repeat sequences).

Optimal alignment of the target and repetitive sequences for comparison may be conducted by the local homology algorithm of Smith et al., Adv. Appl. Math., 2:482 (1981), by the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman et al., J. Mol. Biol., 48:443 (1970). The results obtained from the heuristic methods (Pearson, et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA), 85:244 (1988); Altschul et al., 1990) are generally not as comprehensive as the methods of Smith et al. 1981 and Needleman et al., 1970. However, they are faster than these methods.

Once the single copy sequence information is obtained, certain of the single copy sequences (normally the longest) are used to design hybridization probes. In this regard, probes may be of varying “complexity” as defined by Britten et al., Methods of Enzymol., 29:363 (1974) and as further explained by Cantor et al., Biophysical Chemistry: Part III. The Behavior of Biological Macromolecules, at 1228-1230. The complexity of selected probes is dependent upon the application for which it is designed. In general, the larger the target area, the more complex the probe. The complexity of a probe needed to detect a set of sequences will decrease as hybridization sensitivity increases. At high sensitivity and low background, smaller and less complex probes can be used.

With current hybridization techniques, it is possible to obtain reliable, easily detectable signals with relatively small probes in accordance with the invention. A readily detectable signal was obtained with a probe on the order of 2.3 kb in length, using FISH technology. This sensitivity of the present method is improved compared to the prior art (U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,696) because the probes of the present invention are homogeneous single copy sequences. However, smaller amplified segments, each comprising non-repetitive sequences, may also be used in combination as probes to achieve adequate signals for in situ hybridization.

One application of the use of multiple fragment probes is in the detection of translocations involving two different chromosomes. Proportionately increasing the complexity of the probe also permits analysis of multiple compact regions of the genome simultaneously. The portion of the probe targeted to one side of the break point can be labeled differently from that targeted to the other side of the break point so that the fused translocated chromosome is detected by both labels and is distinguishable from the intact chromosome.

Once appropriate single copy sequences have been identified, PCR is preferably used for amplifying the appropriate DNA to obtain probes. The PCR is a well known technique for amplifying specific DNA segments in geometric progression and relies upon repeated cycles of DNA polymerase-catalyzed extension from a pair of oligonucleotide primers with homology to the 5′ end and to the complement of the 3′ end of the DNA segment to be amplified.

The nucleic acid (DNA) that serves as the PCR template may be single stranded or double stranded, but when the DNA is single stranded, it will typically be converted to double stranded. The length of the template DNA may be as short as 50 bp, but usually will be at least about 100 bp long, and more usually at least about 150 bp long, and may be as long as 10,000 bp or longer, but will usually not exceed 50,000 bp in length, and more usually will not exceed 20,000 bp in length. The DNA may be free in solution, flanked at one or both ends with non-template DNA, present in a cloning vector such as a plasmid and the like, with the only criteria being that the DNA be available for participation in the primer extension reaction. The template DNA maybe derived from a variety of different sources, so long as it is complementary to the target chromosomal or immobilized DNA sequence. The amount of template DNA that is combined with the other reagents will range from about 1 molecule to 1 pmol, usually from about 50 molecules to 0.1 pmol, and more usually from about 0.01 pmol to 100 fmol. The oligonucleotide primers with which the template nucleic acid is contacted will be of sufficient length to provide for hybridization to complementary template DNA under annealing conditions but will be of insufficient length to form stable hybrids with template DNA under polymerization conditions. The primers will generally be at least about 10 nt in length, usually at least 15 nt in length and more usually at least 16 nt in length and may be as long as 30 nt in length or longer, where the length of the primers will generally range from 18 to 50 nt in length, usually from about 20 to 35 nt in length. The yield of longer amplification products can be enhanced using primers of 30 to 35 nt and high fidelity polymerases (described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,149).

To maximize the signal intensity obtained during in situ hybridization, primer sequence pairs are preferred which, upon amplification, produce a DNA fragment that spans nearly the entire length of each single-copy genomic sequence interval. Hence, contiguous or closely spaced primer pairs are generally excluded from consideration as probes for in situ hybridization. With the exception of cytogenetic preparations, this criterion is generally not applicable for probes that are hybridized to immobilized cloned or synthetic nucleic acid targets, since signal intensities of shorter probes are usually adequate due to the increased number of target molecules.

However, in order to optimize the yield and kinetics of the PCR reaction, the desired primer sequences are also subject to other criteria. First, a primer sequence should not be substantially self-complementary or complementary to the second primer. In particular, potential primer sequences are excluded which could result in the formation of stable hybrids involving the 3′ terminus of the primer and either another sequence in the same or the second primer (defined as ≧6 base pairs). Additionally, the T_(m) of one member of the primer pair should occur within 2° C. of its counterpart, which enables them to denature and anneal to the template nearly simultaneously. Software is well known in the art to identify primer sequences that satisfy all of the preferred criteria (see for example: http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/ftp/pub/software/primer.0.5/ or http://www.oligo.net/Oligo_(—)6_tour.htm).

The PCR reaction mixture will normally further comprise an aqueous buffer medium which includes a source of monovalent ions, a source of divalent cations and a buffering agent. Any convenient source of monovalent ions, such as KCl, K-acetate, NH₄-acetate, K-glutamate, NH₄Cl, ammonium sulfate, and the like may be employed, where the amount of monovalent ion source present in the buffer will typically be present in an amount sufficient to provide for a conductivity in a range from about 500 to 20,000, usually from about 1000 to 10,000, and more usually from about 3,000 to 6,000 microohms. The divalent cation may be magnesium, manganese, zinc and the like, where the cation will typically be magnesium. Any convenient source of magnesium cation may be employed, including MgCl₂, Mg-acetate, and the like. The amount of Mg⁺²-present in the buffer may range from 0.5 to 10 mM, but will preferably range from about 2 to 4 mM, more preferably from about 2.25 to 2.75 mM and will ideally be at about 2.45 mM. Representative buffering agents or salts that may be present in the buffer include Tris, Tricine, HEPES, MOPS and the like, where the amount of buffering agent will typically range from about 5 to 150 mM, usually from about 10 to 100 mM, and more usually from about 20 to 50 mM, where in certain preferred embodiments the buffering agent will be present in an amount sufficient to provide a pH ranging from about 6.0 to 9.5, where most preferred is pH 7.3 at 72° C. Other agents which may be present in the buffer medium include chelating agents, such as EDTA, EGTA and the like.

Also present in the PCR reaction mixtures is a melting point reducing agent, i.e. a reagent that lowers the melting point of DNA. Suitable melting point reducing agents are those agents that interfere with the hydrogen bonding interaction of two nucleotides, where representative base pair destabilization agents include: betaine, formamide, urea, thiourea, acetamide, methylurea, glycinamide, and the like, where betaine is a preferred agent. The melting point reducing agent will typically be present in amounts ranging from about 20 to 500 mM, usually from about 50 to 200 mM and more usually from about 80 to 150 mM.

In preparing the PCR reaction mixture, the various constituent components may be combined in any convenient order. For example, the buffer may be combined with primer, polymerase and then template DNA, or all of the various constituent components may be combined at the same time to produce the reaction mixture.

Following preparation of the PCR reaction mixture, it is subjected to a plurality of reaction cycles, where each reaction cycle comprises: (1) a denaturation step, (2) an annealing step, and (3) a polymerization step. The number of reaction cycles will vary depending on the application being performed, but will usually be at least 15, more usually at least 20 and may be as high as 60 or higher, where the number of different cycles will typically range from about 20 to 40. For methods where more than about 25, usually more than about 30 cycles are performed, it may be convenient or desirable to introduce additional polymerase into the reaction mixture such that conditions suitable for enzymatic primer extension are maintained.

The denaturation step comprises heating the reaction mixture to an elevated temperature and maintaining the mixture at the elevated temperature for a period of time sufficient for any double stranded or hybridized nucleic acid present in the reaction mixture to dissociate. For denaturation, the temperature of the reaction mixture will usually be raised to, and maintained at, a temperature ranging from about 85 to 100° C. usually from about 90 to 98° C., and more usually from about 93 to 96° C. for a period of time ranging from about 3 to 120 seconds, usually from about 5 to 30 seconds.

Following denaturation, the PCR reaction mixture will be subjected to conditions sufficient for primer annealing to template DNA present in the mixture. The temperature to which the reaction mixture is lowered to achieve these conditions will usually be chosen to provide optimal efficiency and specificity, and will generally range from about 50 to 75° C., usually from about 55 to 70° C. and more usually from about 60 to 68° C. Annealing conditions will be maintained for a period of time ranging from about 15 seconds to 30 minutes, usually from about 30 seconds to 5 minutes.

Following annealing of primer to template DNA or during annealing of primer to template DNA, the reaction mixture will be subjected to conditions sufficient to provide for polymerization of nucleotides to the primer ends in manner such that the primer is extended in a 5′ to 3′ direction using the DNA to which it is hybridized as a template, i.e. conditions sufficient for enzymatic production of primer extension product. To achieve polymerization conditions, the temperature of the reaction mixture will typically be raised to or maintained at a temperature ranging from about 65 to 75° C., usually from about 67 to 73° C. and maintained for a period of time ranging from about 15 seconds to 20 minutes, usually from about 30 seconds to 5 minutes.

The above cycles of denaturation, annealing and polymerization may be performed using an automated device, typically known as a thermal cycler. Thermal cyclers that may be employed are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,612,473; 5,602,756; 5,538,871; and 5,475,610.

In addition to the PCR, DNA fragments corresponding to unique sequences can also be obtained by a variety of other methods, including but not limited to deletion mutagenesis, restriction digestion, direct synthesis and DNA ligation.

If the genomic fragment is obtained by amplification or purification from DNA containing repetitive sequences, the fragment must then be purified prior to labeling and hybridization. Purification of homogeneously-sized DNA fragments can be accomplished by a variety of methods, including but not limited to electrophoresis and high pressure liquid chromatography. In the preferred method, amplified fragments are separated according to size by gel electrophoreses in Seakem LE Agarose using Tris Acetate buffer (Sambrook, Fritsch & Maniatis, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual [Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989]), stained with a dye such as ethidium bromide or Syber-Green, visualized with ultraviolet light (300 nm), excised from the gel using a scalpel. Each DNA fragment is then recovered from the gel fragment using a Micro-con 100 (Millipore, Watertown, Mass.) column by spin centrifugation.

Phenol-chloroform extraction of the amplified DNA is not an adequate method of purification. When this approach was tested, this purification technique resulted in nonspecific hybridization to all chromosomes along their entire length, which is consistent with the pattern produced by hybridization of repetitive sequences (data not shown). This occurs because, during the PCR process, DNA polymerase extends the replicated strand past the position of the second primer into adjacent repetitive sequences if the initial template contains genomic DNA sequences. These extension products which are longer than the amplification product, are present in all such PCR reactions. Since, in the present method, repetitive sequences are adjacent to the segments being amplified, the extension products are likely to contain such sequences. Phenol-chloroform extraction of PCR reactions does not remove such extension products. PCR reaction mixtures containing these sequences may hybridize to repetitive genomic DNA in addition to the target sequence. Hence, isolation of the purified genomic amplification fragment (whether it is obtained directly from genomic DNA or by PCR), is a preferred embodiment of the subject invention and would not be obvious to one skilled in the art.

Insertion of the purified fragments into plasmids, bacteriophages, or artificial chromosome cloning vehicles capable of being propagated in E. coli, yeast, or other species may be desirable to reduce the cost and labor required for repeated preparation of single copy DNA probes. A variety of cloning vectors have been optimized for rapid ligation and selection for vectors containing PCR products (for example: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,487,993 and 5,766,891). If the probe will be used in multiple hybridizations, then the cloned recombinant form will be less expensive to produce in large quantities than by iterative PCR amplification from the same genomic DNA template. In addition, genomic insert in the cloned probe does not have to be isolated during purification, since the fragment recombined with vector is propagated in the absence of any other genomic DNA that could potentially contain repetitive sequences. Finally, the cloned vehicle provides a potentially inexhaustible source of probe, whereas natural genomic DNA templates may have to be reisolated from cell lines or from other sources. Single copy DNA fragments obtained by PCR amplification as described above are isolated according to size by gel electrophoresis and purified by columns as is well known in the art.

These fragments are then labeled with nonisotopic identifying label such as a fluorophore, an enzymatic conjugate, or one selected from the group consisting of biotin or other moieties recognized by avidin, streptavidin, or specific antibodies. There are several types of non-isotopic identifying labels. One type is a label which is chemically bound to the probe and serves as the means for identification and localization directly. An example of this type would be a fluorochrome moiety which upon application of radiation of proper wavelengths will become excited into a high energy state and emit fluorescent light. The probes can be synthesized chemically or preferably be prepared using the methods of nick-translation (Rigby et al., J. Mol. Biol., 113:237-251, 1977) or Klenow labeling (Feinberg et al., Anal. Biochem. 137:266-267, 1984) in the conventional manner using a reactant comprising the identifying label of choice (but not limited to) conjugated to a nucleotide such as dATP or dUTP. The fragments are either directly labeled with a fluorophore-tagged nucleotide or indirectly labeled by binding the labeled duplex to a fluorescently-labeled antibody that recognizes the modified nucleotide that is incorporated into the fragment as described below. Nick-translations (100 μl reaction) utilize endonuclease-free DNA polymerase I (Roche Molecular Biochemicals) and DNase I (Worthington Chemical). Each fragment is combined with DNA polymerase (20 units/microgram DNA), DNase I (10 microgram/100 μl reaction), labeled nucleotide (0.05 mm final) and nick translation buffer. The reaction is performed at 15° C. for 45 minutes to 2 hours and yields a variety of labeled probe fragments of different nucleotide sizes in the 100 to 500 bp size range.

Other methods for labeling and detecting probes in common use may be applied to the single-copy DNA probes produced by the present method. These include: fluorochrome labels (which resolve labeling on individual chromatids which serves as an affirmation that hybridization occurred unequivocably, and further allows detection precisely at site of hybridization rather than at some distance away), chemical reagents which yields an identifiable change when combined with the proper reactants (for example, alkaline phosphatase, horseradish peroxidase and galactosidase, each of which reacts and provide a detectable color change that identifies the presence and position of the target sequence), indirect linkage mechanism of specifically binding entities (such as the biotin-avidin system in which the probe is preferably joined to biotin by conventional methods and added to an avidin- or streptavidin-conjugated fluorochrome or enzyme which provides the specificity for attaching the fluorochrome or enzyme to the probe).

It will be recognized also that other identifying labels may also be used with the described probes. These include fluorescent compositions such as energy transfer groups, conjugated proteins, antibodies and antigens, or radioactive isotopes.

Chromosomal hybridization and detection are a preferred use of DNA probes generated by the present invention. DNA probes generated by the present method may be hybridized either directly to complementary nucleic acids in cells (in situ hybridization) or to nucleic acids immobilized on a substrate. A preferred use of the method is in situ hybridization, which is well known in the art, being described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,985,549; 5,447,841; 5,756,696; 5,869,237. Based on early work of Gall and Pardue (PNAS 63:378-383, 1969), isotopic in situ hybridization was established in the 1970s (see Gerhard et al., PNAS 78:3755-3759, 1981 and Harper et al., PNAS 78:4458-4460, 1981 as examples) and subsequently nonisotopic in situ hybridization was established. The technique of nonisotopic in situ hybridization is reviewed and a protocol is provided for use in chromosomal hybridization by Knoll and Lichter, in Current Protocols in Human Genetics, Vol.1, Unit 4.3 (Green Wiley, New York, 1994) and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,549. The technique relies on the formation of duplex nucleic acid species, in which one strand is derived from a labeled probe molecule and the second strand comprises the target to be detected. Target molecules may comprise chromosomes or cellular nucleic acids. Numerous methods have been developed to label the probe and visualize the duplex.

The present method is intended to be used with any nucleic acid target containing repetitive sequences. The sample containing the target nucleic acid sequence can be prepared from cellular nuclei, morphologically intact cells (or tissues), chromosomes, other cellular material components, or synthetically produced nucleic acid. The sample may be obtained from the fluids or tissues of a mammal, preferably human, which are suspected of being afflicted with a disease or disorder either from a biopsy or post-mortem, or plants.

As an example, chromosomal preparations can be made in the following manner: phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes are cultured in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum for 72 hours at 37° C. Ethidium bromide (100 ug/10 ml final) is added 1-{fraction (1/2 )} hours prior to harvest. Colcemid (1 ug/10 ml final) is added during the final 20 min of incubation with ethidium bromide. The cells are then pelleted by centrifugation and incubated preferably in 0.075 M KCl at 37° C. for about 20 minutes. Cells are then pelleted again and fixed in 3 changes of Carnoy's fixative (3:1 methanol: acetic acid volumetric ratio) using conventional cytogenetic techniques. [For a review of chromosome preparation from peripheral blood cells, see Bangs and Donlon in Dracopoli et al., Current Protocols in Human Genetics, Vol. 1, Unit 4.1 (Green-Wiley, New York, 1994)]. The nuclei or cells in suspension can then be dropped onto clear glass coverslips or slides in a humid environment to promote chromosome spreading. The coverslips or microscope slides can then be preferentially air dried overnight, aged or stored until required for use in in situ hybridization.

Immediately prior to chromosomal denaturation in the in situ hybridization procedure, the dried or stored chromosome preparations can be pretreated in prewarmed 2×SSC (components are in Sambrook, Fritsch & Maniatis, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual [Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989]) for 30 minutes at 37° C. followed by dehydration in an ethanol series (2 minutes each in 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% ethanol).

When the target nucleic acid sequence is DNA, DNA in the sample can be denatured by heat or alkali. [See Harper et al., PNAS USA, 78, 4458-60 (1981), for alkali denaturation and Gall et al., PNAS USA, 63:370-383 (1969)]. Denaturation is carried out so that the DNA strands are separated with minimal shearing, degradation or oxidation.

In the preferred current method, the labeled single copy probe is resuspended in deionized formamide and denatured at 70-75° C. The chromosomal template is denatured in a solution containing 70% formamide/2×SSC, pH 7.0 followed by dehydration in an ethanol series (2 minutes each in cold 70% ethanol and room temperature 80, 90 and 100% ethanol). Hybridization of the labeled probe to the corresponding template is carried out in a solution containing 50% formamide/2×SSC/10% dextran sulfate/BSA [bovine serum albumin; 1 mg/ml final] for a few hours to overnight. The length of time depending on the complexity of the probe that is utilized. After hybridization, non-hybridizing excess probe is removed by a washing procedure. The duplexes are treated with a series of 15-30 minute washes: first with a solution of 50% formamide/2×SSC at 39-45° C., then 2×SSC at 39-45° C., followed by a 15-30 minute wash at room temperature in 1×SSC. The hybridized sequences are detected by relevant means. For example, digoxigenin-dUTP can be but is not limited to detection by an antibody to digoxigenin such as rhodamine or fluorescein conjugated antibody (Roche Molecular Biochemicals). Following detection, spurious detection reagents are removed by washing in varying SSC and SSC/triton-X concentrations, the chromosomes are counterstained with a dye such as DAPI and the hybridized preparation is mounted in an antifade solution such as Vectashield (Vector Laboratories). The cells are examined by fluorescence microscopy with the appropriate filter sets and imaged with a charge coupled device (CCD).

An important aspect of the present invention is that the probe or target DNA does not require pre-reaction with a non-specific nucleic acid competitor such as purified repetitive DNA or that the probe does not require experimental verification that the single copy fragments or recombinant cloned probes do not contain repetitive sequences (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,985,549; 5,447,841; 5,663,319; 5,756,696) because the probes are single copies without repetitive elements. This results in a significantly improved signal to noise ratio. A signal to noise ratio is defined as a ratio of the probability of the probe detecting a bonafide signal of hybridization of the target nucleic acid sequence to that of the probability of detecting the background caused by non-specific binding of the labeled probe.

The hybridization reactions carried out using the probes of the invention are themselves essentially conventional. As indicated, two exemplary types of hybridizations are the Southern blot and FISH techniques, well known to those skilled in the art. However, the visual patterns resulting from use of the probes, termed indicator patterns, are extremely useful tools for cytogenetic analyses, especially molecular cytogenetic analyses. These indicator patterns facilitate microscopic and/or flow cytometric identification of normal and abnormal chromosomes and characterization of the genetic abnormalities. Since multiple compatible methods of probe visualization are available, the binding patterns of different components of the probes can be distinguished, for example, by color. Thus, the invention is capable of producing virtually any desired indicator pattern on the chromosomes visualized with one or more colors (a multi-color indicator pattern) and/or other indicator methods.

Preferred indicator patterns derived from using the probes of the invention comprise one or more “bands,” meaning a reference point in a genome comprising a target DNA sequence with a probe bound thereto, and wherein the resulting duplex is detectable by some indicator. Depending on hybridization washes and the detection conditions, a band can extend from the narrow context of a sequence providing a reliable signal to a single chromosome region to multiple regions on single or plural chromosomes. The indicator bands from the probes hereof are to be distinguished from bands produced by pretreatment and chemical staining. The probe-produced bands of the present invention are based upon the complementarity of the DNA sequences, whereas bands produced by chemical staining depend upon natural characteristics of the chromosomes (such as structure or protein composition), but not by hybridization to the DNA sequences thereof. Furthermore, chemical staining techniques are useful only in connection with metaphase chromosomes, whereas the probe-produced bands of the present invention are useful for both metaphase and interphase chromosomes.

The following examples set forth the preferred techniques employed for the development, generation, labeling and use of specific DNA probes designed to hybridize to a target DNA sequence in a genome. It is to be understood, however, that these examples are provided by way of illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 Development of HIRA Gene Probe

A known genetic disorder on human chromosome 22 involves a deletion of one HIRA gene in chromosome band 22q11.2, i.e., in normal individuals ; there are two copies of the HIRA gene, whereas in affected individuals, only one copy is present. This deletion is considered to be a cause of haploinsufficiency syndromes such as DiGeorge and Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndromes (VCFS), because insufficient amounts of gene product(s) may disrupt normal embryonic development (Fibison et al., Amer. J. Hum. Genet., 46:888-95 (1990); Consevage et al., Amer. J. Cardiol., 77:1023-1205 (1996)). Other syndromes including Cat Eye Syndrome and derivative chromosome 22 syndrome result from an excess of genomic sequences from this region (Mears et al., Amer. J. Hum. Genet., 55:134-142 (1994); Knoll et al., Amer. J. Med. Genet., 55:221-224 (1995)). Typically individuals with these syndromes have supernumerary derivative chromosome 22s.

Initially, a computer-based search using the search term “HIRA” was performed using Entrez Nucleotide software at the National Library of Medicine website. This identified a series of cDNA sequences for the HIRA gene in GenBank. The full length cDNA sequence was selected (GenBank Accession No. X81844), having 3859 bp. This cDNA sequence was then compared with the genome sequence which included draft sequences at the National Library of Medicine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/seq/page.cgi?F=HsBlast.html&&ORG=Hs). This was done in order to determine whether genomic sequences of sufficient length were available for probe development. This comparison confirmed that the entire HIRA genomic sequence was known, and that the coding sequence interval spanned a length of 100,836 bp in the chromosome. Since the available contiguous genomic sequence in GenBank exceeded the length of the coding interval, it was possible to select an interval longer than the coding region in order to include sequences from the gene promoter at the 5′ end and untranslated sequences and polyadenylation signal at the 3′ end. A total genomic interval of approximately 103 kb was thus selected. Position 1 of this ˜103 kb interval corresponds to position 798,334 in GenBank Accession number NT_(—)001039.

In the next step, the selected 103 kb genomic interval was compared with known high-complexity repeat sequence family members or consensus sequences that are aligned with the test genomic sequences (SEQ ID Nos. 1-428) and all combinations of low-complexity tandem repeat sequences of at least 17 nucleotides in length (mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentanucleotide units) known to be present in the human genome (SEQ ID Nos. 447-479). This comparison was done using the publicly available CENSOR program which can be found at the Genetic Information Research Institute website, www.girinst.org. This program utilizes the Smith-Waterman global alignment comparison algorithm to determine the locations and distribution of repeat sequences within the genomic interval. A Smith-Waterman alignment of repetitive with genomic sequences was performed with the following parameters: Length of margin sequence: 50 nt, minimum length to extract insertion: 12 nt, minimum margin to combine matching fragments: 30, similarity threshold: 22, similarity threshold to always keep match: 35, ratio threshold: 2.8, relative similarity threshold: 2.8, gap constant D1: 2.95, gap constant D2: 1.90, and mismatch penalty: −1.0. This analysis generated the following table, which details the coordinates of repetitive sequence family members found in and adjacent to the human HIRA gene coding sequence. TABLE 1 Position (bp) in Seq. Listing HIRA Corresponding position (bp) to HIRA Match Begin End Repeat Family SEQ ID NO. Begin End 798411 798434 (AC) 452 1 24 798983 799395 MLT2A1 444 1 434 801257 801348 CHESHIRE_A 420 132 223 801367 801729 L1ME_ORF2 425 757 1089 801746 802032 Alu-Jb 2 2 289 802033 802308 L1ME_ORF2 425 1090 1380 802355 802434 L1MB6_5 77 1629 1710 802448 802798 L1M3D_5 66 996 1348 802811 803100 Alu-Y 2 1 290 803104 803189 L1M3D_5 66 907 995 803199 803454 Alu-Jb 2 5 290 803472 803545 Alu-Spqxz 2 2 76 803548 804061 L1MEC_5 345 1860 2392 804079 804365 Alu-Sz 2 6 290 804476 804559 L1P_MA2 348 6242 6321 804625 804885 L1ME_ORF2 425 2287 2568 804936 804997 MLT1E2 106 198 260 805011 805077 MLT1E1 105 420 484 805110 805211 L1PBA_5 359 103 204 805212 805862 L1PBA_5 359 1089 1738 805933 805989 Alu-J 2 234 290 805991 806489 L1PBA_5 359 1749 2247 806510 806624 L1 59 1659 1773 806628 806917 Alu-Sz 2 1 290 806919 807254 L1M2_5 61 2377 2716 807301 808176 L1P_MA2 348 3516 4425 808179 808469 Alu-Sz 2 1 290 808476 808734 L1 59 3268 3525 808735 809426 L1ME_ORF2 425 1411 2105 809429 809860 L1P_MA2 348 5607 6044 809861 809993 Alu-Jb 2 2 134 809996 810282 Alu-Jb 2 2 290 810345 811040 L1 59 4711 5402 811041 811221 L1PB3 358 151 333 811226 811513 Alu-Sx 2 1 287 811515 812032 L1PB1 357 330 863 812096 812394 Alu-Jb 2 1 288 812474 812698 Alu-Jb 2 5 229 812721 812836 Alu-Jo 2 2 117 812862 812901 L1P_MA2 348 4315 4354 812903 813078 L1 59 3028 3222 813079 814102 L1ME_ORF2 425 1113 2166 814323 814410 MER1B 315 242 337 814411 814557 CHARLIE3 7 1 281 814780 814916 L1MB7 78 9 143 815061 815181 Alu-Y 2 1 134 815420 815452 LTR67 279 99 131 816487 816772 Alu-Sx 2 5 290 817180 817270 L1MCC_5 335 1384 1473 817332 817620 Alu-Sg 2 1 290 817634 817909 Alu-Sq 2 1 288 817943 818227 Alu-Sx 2 2 289 818368 818578 HAL1 18 1346 1547 818631 818791 LINE2 362 2280 2464 818824 818889 Alu-S 2 223 290 818890 819185 LINE2 362 2465 2749 819328 819450 LINE2 362 1925 2049 819565 819757 LINE2 362 2273 2498 823604 823892 Alu-Jo 2 2 290 826836 827042 Alu-Sxzg 2 84 290 827922 827977 MIR 99 105 160 830762 831371 L1MEC_5 345 1498 2123 831396 831685 Alu-Sx 2 2 290 831687 831774 L1MEC_5 345 2117 2205 831778 832066 Alu-Sx 2 1 290 832155 832288 Alu-FLA 2 5 134 832317 832431 L1MC2 79 666 786 832442 832735 Alu-Sz 2 1 289 832742 832992 L1MC2 79 787 1077 833004 833170 L1ME_ORF2 425 172 340 833177 834590 TIGGER1 148 1 1477 834592 834642 Alu-Jb 2 156 207 834799 834877 Alu-Jb 2 208 290 834907 835194 Alu-Y 2 1 289 835198 835590 TIGGER1 148 1468 1900 835597 835888 Alu-Sx 2 1 290 835946 835979 L1P_MA2 348 4654 4689 836060 836177 MER2 316 229 345 836203 836486 Alu-Sx 2 7 290 836497 836712 MER2 316 1 228 838478 838760 Alu-Sz 2 1 288 838822 839069 Alu-Sx 2 1 288 839086 839373 Alu-Sz 2 1 289 840297 840926 L1MB7 78 269 915 841062 841306 L1MB7 78 7 249 841323 841382 L1ME_ORF2 425 3053 3116 841408 841697 Alu-Sq 2 1 290 841705 841828 Alu-Jo 2 1 136 841829 842012 L1ME_ORF2 425 2870 3052 842744 842871 MER86 239 51 183 842879 843107 Alu-Spqxz 2 3 230 843109 843271 Alu-Jo 2 9 175 847056 847210 MER104 293 1 179 847256 847351 L1ME4 343 128 224 847413 847551 MIR 99 65 218 847570 847695 L1ME4 343 1 127 847865 848137 Alu-Y 2 1 290 848171 848458 Alu-Sg 2 1 290 848493 848564 L1PA7 355 35 105 848646 848928 Alu-Sc 2 5 290 849186 849435 L1ME_ORF2 425 2527 2796 849450 849745 Alu-Sx 2 5 289 850114 850249 L1P_MA2 348 5447 5610 850250 850761 L1 59 3478 4017 850824 850942 L1ME_ORF2 425 1128 1265 851588 851614 (T) 449 1 27 (complement) 851749 851881 L1ME2 341 357 523 852607 852853 L1MA10 72 664 918 852863 853156 Alu-Sc 2 1 290 853176 853211 L1MA10 72 628 663 853212 853267 L1MA9 75 987 1041 853491 853779 Alu-Sz 2 1 290 859137 859435 Alu-Sx 2 1 290 859436 859456 (A) 449 1 21 859570 859805 L1ME3A 342 215 442 859806 860289 L1ME2 341 375 879 860318 860605 Alu-Y 2 1 290 862194 862481 Alu-Sg 2 1 290 865060 865350 Alu-Sq 2 1 290 867521 867800 Alu-Jb 2 1 288 867836 867876 MIR 99 157 196 869546 869802 LINE2 362 123 413 869923 870118 LINE2 362 1251 1450 870124 870202 Alu-J 2 48 132 870203 870296 LINE2 362 1451 1592 870316 870666 LINE2 362 1708 2097 871000 871075 LINE2 362 2617 2736 871650 871935 Alu-Jo 2 1 290 871936 871960 (GAAAAA) 482 4 28 872154 872444 Alu-Sc 2 1 289 874867 874990 L1MB7 78 529 676 878120 878408 Alu-Sx 2 1 290 881003 881054 MLT1G 109 217 268 881130 881266 MLT1G 109 269 480 881293 881346 MLT1G 109 415 469 881762 881891 LINE2B 363 85 229 882448 882740 Alu-Sb0 2 1 290 883566 883716 Alu-Sz 2 1 288 883782 883977 Alu-Sc 2 2 290 883988 884329 L1P_MA2 348 5600 5935 884333 884623 Alu-Sp 2 1 290 884624 885134 L1ME_ORF2 425 2431 2975 885160 885456 Alu-Jb 2 9 290 885460 885742 L1ME_ORF2 425 2949 3252 885744 886031 Alu-Sx 2 1 288 886032 886082 Alu-Sp 2 291 341 886083 886166 L1MB7 78 137 220 886168 886454 Alu-Sc 2 1 290 886535 887059 L1MB7 78 345 901 887169 887460 Alu-Y 2 1 289 887485 887748 L1MD2 337 794 1072 887752 887779 LOR1I 366 395 422 888253 888318 LINE2 362 2440 2505 888385 888548 LINE2 362 2579 2739 888865 888893 LOR1I 366 394 422 889006 889296 Alu-Jb 2 5 290 889446 889548 Alu-Jo 2 188 290 889549 889677 L1PB3 358 770 897 889842 890133 Alu-Sq 2 1 290 890515 890797 Alu-Sz 2 1 283 890858 890972 L1ME2 341 769 885 890986 891024 LOR1I 366 396 434 891028 891063 LTR66 266 173 207 891126 891536 LINE2 362 1980 2452 891545 891670 LTR16A1 382 9 128 891688 891963 LTR16A 381 146 429 892907 893013 LINE2 362 2636 2747 893851 893924 MLT1L 119 47 119 894528 894849 Alu-Sx 2 1 290 895825 895903 LINE2 362 2592 2664 895912 896083 MER20 317 46 216 897067 897299 MER20 317 2 217 897492 897624 Alu-FLA 2 2 136 897977 898261 Alu-Sc 2 1 290

The lengths of the non-repetitive intervals were calculated from these data. For example, a non-repetitive interval of 5358 bp was determined between coordinate positions 853779 and 859137 which delineate the boundaries of adjacent ALU-Sz and ALU-Sx repetitive elements. Next, the non-repetitive intervals were sorted based on their respective lengths. Four of these non-repetitive intervals were selected for probe development, namely the above-referenced 5358 bp sequence, a 3847 bp sequence (coordinates 819757 and 823604), a 3785 bp sequence (coordinates 843271 and 847056), and a 3130 bp sequence (coordinates 874990 and 878120).

In the next step, the Long PCR technique was used to amplify portions of the four identified single copy intervals. The technique followed for amplification of the 5358 bp interval is described in detail below. Similar techniques were followed for amplification of the remaining three single copy intervals.

Probes of maximal length were desired for FISH experiments. However, in order to optimize the PCR reaction that generated these probes, other constraints had to be met, which resulted in amplification products somewhat shorter than the entire non-repetitive sequence interval. The Prime computer program was employed to optimize the selection of primers for PCR (Genetics Computer Group software package, Madison Wis.). The PCR primers which were optimized for Long PCR were constrained as follows: size of 30-35 nucleotides; GC content of 50-80%; melting temperature of 65-70° C.; the primer was not permitted to self-anneal at the 3′ end with hairpins of greater than 8 nucleotides; the primer was not permitted to self-anneal at any position with greater than 14; and the primer was permitted to anneal only at a single position in the target sequence and primer-primer annealing was limited at the 3′ end to less than 8 bp and at any other point less than 14 bp. In addition, certain constraints were applied to the amplified PCR product in order to optimize Long PCR: length of 5100-5358 nucleotides; GC content of 40-60%; melting temperature of 70-95° C.; difference in forward and reverse primer melting points less than 2° C. This yielded a possible 517 forward primers and 382 reverse primers, and a total of 928 possible products. The Prime program using the foregoing constraints rank ordered potential primer pairs. The top ranked primers were selected for synthesis, as set forth in the following Table 2. These primers were commercially produced (Oligos, Etc., Wilsonville, Oreg.). TABLE 2 Coordinates of Forward GenBank Accession Longest Single PCR Primer Reverse PCR Primer PCR Primer SEQ ID Chromosome No., Chromosome Copy Intervals, Coordinates, Coordinates, Nos., Probe Length Gene Band Genomic Sequence Beginning/End Beginning/End Beginning/End Forward/Reverse (bp) HIRA 22q11.2 NT_001039 853779/859137 853946/853975 859116/859085 429/430 5170 HIRA 22q11.2 NT_001039 819757/823604 819901/819933 823592/823559 431/432 3691 HIRA 22q11.2 NT_001039 843271/847056 843602/843631 846946/846915 433/434 3344 HIRA 22q11.2 NT_001039 874990/878120 875226/875257 878074/878042 435/436 2848

Using these primers, a Long PCR reaction (50 μl) was performed using 1 microgram of high molecular weight genomic DNA (purified by phenol extraction) and 200 μM of each oligonucleotide primer to amplify the 5170 bp probe. Specifically, high fidelity DNA polymerase (LA-Taq, Takara Chemical Co.) was employed using the following thermal cycling protocol:

-   -   Step 1—94° C.−5 minutes     -   Step 2—98° C.−20 seconds     -   Step 3—65° C.−7 minutes     -   Step 4—14 times to Step 2     -   Step 5—98° C.−20 seconds     -   Step 6—65° C.−7 minutes+15 s/cycle     -   Step 7—14 times to Step 5     -   Step 8—72° C.−10 minutes     -   Step 9—0° C.     -   Step 10—END

Because amplification of the 5170 bp probe is less efficient than amplification of shorter fragments, the initial PCR reaction did not yield sufficient quantities of probe for multiple hybridization experiments. Therefore, a 4 μl aliquot of the original DNA amplification reaction was reamplified using the following protocol: Step 1—94 ° C.−1.5 minutes, followed by Steps 2-10 of the original PCR reaction. Sufficient quantities of the 5170 bp probe were obtained. An alternative to reamplification is to increase Step 7 by at least 10 cycles.

The amplified product was then purified by gel electrophoresis followed by column chromatography. First, the amplified product was separated on a 0.8% Seakem LE agarose gel (FC Bioproducts) in 1×modified TAE buffer. The gel was then stained with ethidium bromide and visualized with UV light. The fragment corresponding to the correct interval size was excised in an Ultrafree-DA spin column (Millipore) and centrifuged at 5000 g for 10 minutes. The DNA was recovered in solution and precipitated in {fraction (1/10)} V NaOAc and 2.5 V 95% EtOH (overnight) at −20° C. The precipitated DNA was then centrifuged, rinsed with cold 70% EtOH, air dried and resuspended in 20 μl of sterile deionized water. The DNA was checked on a 0.8% agarose gel (Sigma) to determine DNA concentration.

The detailed probe labeling, hybridization, removal of non-specifically bound probe, and probe detection procedures are described by Knoll and Lichter, In: Dracopoli et al. (eds), “Current Protocols in Human Genetics Volume 1”, Unit 4.3 (Green-Wiley, New York,1994). Briefly, in order to label the probe, a standard nick translation reaction was carried out (Rigby et al., J. Mol. Biol., 113:237-251, 1977) using digoxigenin-11-dUTP as the label. This yielded a series of overlapping 300-500 bp labeled fragments, which together comprised the 5170 bp probe.

The labeled probe fragments were then precipitated by adding {fraction (1/10)} V NaOAc plus 2.5 V 95% EtOH and carrier DNA (overnight, −20° C.). On the following day, the precipitated DNA was centrifuged, lyophilized, and resuspended in deionized sterile water at a concentration of 125 ng/20 μl.

A comparison set of hybridizations were carried out with normal denatured human metaphase chromosomes, using the labeled probe fragments with and without blocking nucleic acid of the type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,447,841, 5,663,319 and 5,756,696. Twenty μl of resuspended labeled probe was then lyophilized and resuspended in 10 μl of deionized formamide and denatured for 5 minutes at 70-75° C. to yield single-stranded nucleic acids. For comparison, probes were pre-reacted with purified repetitive DNA by adding 125 ng (or 20 μl) of labeled probe to 10 micrograms of C₀t 1 DNA (Life Technologies) and lyophilizing the mixture. This mixture was then denatured for 5 minutes at 70° C. followed by pre-reaction (or pre-annealing) for 30 minutes at 37° C. to convert the single stranded repetitive sequences in the probe to double stranded nucleic acid. This disables the hybridization between the sequences and the chromosome as target DNA template.

Subsequently, the denatured probes with or without purified repetitive DNA (i.e., C₀t 1) were mixed with 1 V prewarmed hybridization solution (comprised of 4×SSC/2 mg/ml nuclease free bovine serum albumin/20% dextran sulfate/30% sterile deionized water) and overlaid onto denatured target DNA. The chromosomal target DNA, fixed to a microscope slide had been denatured at 72° C. for 2 minutes in 50% formamide/2×SSC. A coverslip was placed over the probe hybridization mixture on the slide, sealed with nail polish enamel to prevent evaporation and placed in a moist chamber at 39° C. overnight.

Following hybridization, non-specifically bound probe was washed off with varying stringencies of salt concentration and temperature. The labeled probes, pre-reacted to disable repetitive sequence hybridization, and the probes without such pre-reaction were detected with rhodamine-labeled antibody to digoxigenin-11-dUTP, using a conventional FISH protocol (Knoll and Lichter, 1994). Chromosomal DNA was counterstained with DAPI. The cell preparations on microscope slides were then mounted in antifade solution (Vectashield, Vector Laboratories) and visually examined using a fluorescence microscope with the appropriate fluorochrome filter sets. FIGS. 1 and 2 are photographs illustrating the results of the comparative hybridizations, where FIG. 1 is the hybridization with the blocking repetitive sequences, while FIG. 2 is the hybridization without pre-reaction with purified repetitive DNA. These photographs depict hybridization to both HIRA alleles on two normal chromosome 22q11.2 regions. A comparison of the photographs demonstrates that the presence of the blocking repetitive sequences is unnecessary using the probes of the present invention.

The remaining three probes identified in Table 2 were PCR-amplified and labeled as described above. These probes were used in a series of FISH experiments to determine the efficacy of the probes. Thus, all four probes were used together without pre-annealing of potentially repetitive sequences (FIG. 6), and a combination of the three shortest probes were used on cells from a patient affected with DiGeorge/VCFS with a previously confirmed deletion (FIG. 12). In the FIG. 6 photograph, the probe was hybridized to a single region of both chromosome 22s in a normal individual (arrows) In FIG. 12, only one chromosome 22 hybridized (arrow). The other chromosome 22, as indicated by a star, has a deletion of this region and does not hybridize to the probe.

EXAMPLE 2 Development of NECDIN and CDC2L1 Gene Probes

The techniques described in Example 1 were used to develop a series of probes for detecting known genetic disorders on chromosome 1 (Monosomy 1p36.3 syndrome; Slavotinek et al.; J. Med. Genet., 36:657-63 (1999)) and on chromosome 15 (Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndromes). Approximately 70% of patients with Prader-Willi or Angelman syndrome exhibit hemizygous deletions of the sequence containing the NECDIN gene (Knoll et al.; Amer. J. Med. Genet., 32:285-290 (1989); Nicholls et al., Amer. J. Med. Genet., 33:66-77 (1989)). The presence of excess copies of this gene is diagnostic for an abnormal phenotype in patients with interstitial duplication or a supernumerary derivative or dicentric chromosome 15 (Cheng et al., Amer. J. Hum. Genet., 55:753-759, 1994; Repetto et al., Am. J. Med. Genet., 79:82-89, 1998). The following Table 3 sets forth the deduced single copy intervals, PCR primer coordinates, SEQ ID Nos. and the lengths of the resultant probes. TABLE 3 Coordinates Forward Reverse PCR GenBank Accession of Longest Single PCR Primer Primer Coordinates, PCR Primer SEQ Chromosome No., Chromosome Copy Intervals, Coordinates, Beginning/ ID Nos., Probe Gene Band Genomic Sequence Beginning/End Beginning/End End Forward/Reverse Length (bp) CDC2L1¹ 1p36.3 AL031282  8823/17757 9137/9167 13960/13931 444/443 4823 CDC2L1¹ 1p36.3 AL031282  8823/17757 13028/13057 17752/17720 445/446 4724 NECDIN 15q11-q13 AC006596 94498/99152 94501/94535 98667/98601 439/440 4166 NECDIN 15q11-q13 AC006596 68031/75948 72122/72156 75666/75637 437/438 3544 NECDIN 15q11-q13 AC006596 76249/79221 76608/76639 78898/78867 441/442 2290 ¹Two sets of primers were used to generate two DNA probe fragments which, together, spanned the entire interval.

PCR-amplification was performed using the CDC2L1 primers in Table 3, and products were labeled, hybridized and detected as set forth in Example 1. The labeled probes were used in a series of FISH experiments, with images of the hybridizations provided as FIGS. 7-10. In the experiment shown in FIG. 7, the longest 4823 bp probe was employed and potential hybridization repetitive sequences was disabled by pre-annealing with purified repetitive DNA. As a comparison, the same probe was used without pre-annealing of purified repetitive DNA (FIG. 8). The hybridizations appear identical demonstrating that the presence of purified repetitive DNA to block repetitive sequence hybridization is unnecessary. In both instances, the chromosomes with one or both chromatids hybridized are indicated by arrows. In the experiments shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the 4823 bp and 4724 bp probes were employed, with (FIG. 9) and without (FIG. 10) pre-annealing of the purified repetitive DNA. Again, pre-reaction of the purified repetitive DNA is shown to be unnecessary using the probes of the invention.

The NECDIN probes were also used in a series of FISH experiments, as shown in FIGS. 3-5 and 11. In FIG. 3, the 3544 bp probe was used on metaphase cells from a normal individual, with pre-annealing using purified repetitive sequences; FIG. 4 is a comparison, without pre-annealing. In FIG. 11, all three probes were used in combination, on metaphase cells from a patient affected with Prader-Willi syndrome known to harbor a deletion of 15q11-q13 sequences on one chromosome 15. The normal homolog is indicated by an arrow and shows hybridization to a single chromatid. The location of the deleted chromosome is indicated by a star. It does not show hybridization with the probe.

The foregoing examples demonstrate that the mixed combinations of DNA fragments give identical hybridization results, as compared with the fragments when used individually. This establishes that none of the fragments used individually or in combination will hybridize to any other location in the genome and hence, are free of repetitive sequences. This provides an additional confirmation of the validity of the present method for the design and production of single copy genomic probes.

Current use of commercial and research genomic probes to detect these disorders requires that hybridization of repetitive sequences be disabled prior to annealing of the probe to metaphase or interphase chromosomes. This increases the number of steps required to perform the protocol and could potentially increase the chances of procedural errors occurring, any of which would be unacceptable in the clinical diagnostic laboratory. The results present in FIG. 7 are comparable to those obtained using related commercially available genomic probes to detect these abnormalities. Hence, these probes will be useful in the detection of these genetic disorders. The probes themselves or in combination with other solutions necessary for hybridization and detections can be provided to clinical laboratories as kits for detection of these genetic disorders.

The probes developed from genomic sequences other than those presented as examples cited herein can also be utilized to detect inherited, sporadic, or acquired chromosomal rearrangements. These rearrangements may corresponding to numerous other known genetic abnormalities (including neoplasias) and syndromes besides those examples given above. Hence, the present invention can be useful for producing probes from genomic regions for which probes are not presently commercially available.

In principle, the present method can be utilized to design, develop and produce single-copy genomic probes for any genomic interval where the DNA sequence is available and where a comprehensive set of repetitive sequence elements in the genome has been cataloged. Such catalogs are currently available for genomes for the following organisms (http://www.girinst.org): Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Arabidopsis thaliana, Canorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Danio rerio.

All references cited above are expressly incorporated by reference herein. In addition, the subject matter of Disclosure Document #471449 filed Mar. 27, 2000, is also incorporated by reference herein. 

1. A nucleic acid hybridization probe which will hybridize to a nonrepetitive portion of target nucleic acid, said probe comprising a labeled, single copy human nucleic acid sequence of known sequence, said probe having a length of at least about 2000 nucleotides, said probe being free of the repeat sequences identified as SEQ ID Nos. 1-428 and 447-479 and subsequences thereof, said subsequences containing at least 17 nucleotides, at least a portion of the human nucleic acid sequence being derived either from an intron or an intergenic region wherein an intergenic region begins either upstream of the transcription initiation site or downstream of the polyadenylation site, and said probe being complementary to a non-repetitive portion of the target.
 2. The probe of claim 1, said human nucleic acid sequence being human genomic DNA.
 3. The probe of claim 2, said human genomic DNA being derived directly from PCR amplification of human genomic DNA.
 4. The probe of claim 1, said human nucleic acid sequence being single stranded.
 5. A modified human DNA sequence isolated from its natural environment which will hybridize to a portion of target human DNA, said sequence comprising a single copy human DNA sequence of known sequence having a length of at least about 2000 nucleotides and being free of the repeat sequences identified as SEQ ID Nos. 1-428, 447-479, and subsequences thereof, said subsequences containing at least 17 nucleotides, at least a portion of the human nucleic acid sequence being derived from an intron or an intergenic region wherein an intergenic region begins either upstream of the transcription initiation site or downstream of the polyadenylation site, and said probe being complementary to a non-repetitive portion of the target.
 6. The human DNA sequence of claim 5, said human DNA sequence being single stranded.
 7. A hybridization method including the steps of contacting a target nucleic acid sequence with a probe in accordance with claim 1 under conditions permitting the probe to hybridize to at least a portion of said target nucleic acid sequence.
 8. A hybridization method including the steps of annealing a target human DNA sequence to a single copy human DNA sequence in accordance with claim 5 under conditions permitting the single copy human DNA sequence to hybridize to at least a portion of said target human DNA sequence.
 9. A method of developing a hybridization probe for a target nucleic acid sequence, said method comprising the steps of: determining the sequence of at least one single copy sequence in said target nucleic acid sequence computationally, said determining step comprising the steps of ascertaining the nucleotide-by-nucleotide sequence of said target nucleic acid sequence, comparing said ascertained sequences with the sequences of known repeat sequences in said target nucleic acid sequence, and identifying said single copy sequence from said comparison, said known repeat sequences appearing at least 10 times in the genome and having at least about 50 nucleotides; and developing a hybridization probe comprising a sequence complementary to a non-repetitive portion of the target which hybridizes to at least a part of said identified single copy sequence.
 10. A method of identifying a single copy sequence interval from a target nucleic acid sequence computationally, said method comprising the steps of ascertaining the nucleotide-by-nucleotide sequence of said target nucleic acid sequence, comparing said ascertained sequences with the sequences of known repeat sequences in said target nucleic acid sequence, said known repeat sequences appearing at least 10 times in the genome and having at least about 50 nucleotides, and identifying said single copy sequence from said comparison.
 11. A modified human DNA sequence which will hybridize to a portion of target human DNA, said sequence comprising a single copy human DNA sequence of known sequence having a length of at least about 2000 nucleotides and being free of the repeat sequences identified as SEQ ID Nos. 1-428, 447-479, and subsequences thereof, said subsequences containing at least 17 nucleotides, at least a portion of the human nucleic acid sequence being derived from an intron or an intergenic region wherein an intergenic region begins either upstream of the transcription initiation site or downstream of the polyadenylation site, said human DNA sequence being modified so that it is detectable, and said probe being complementary to a non-repetitive portion of the target.
 12. A nucleic acid hybridization probe comprising a labeled, human nucleic acid sequence having a length of at least about 2000 nucleotides and being free of SEQ ID Nos. 1-428 and 447-479 and 17 mer subsequences thereof, said probe being complementary to and hybridizable with a nonrepetitive portion of target human DNA, said target human DNA comprising the known sequence of the human genome, at least a portion of the human nucleic acid sequence being derived either from an intron or an intergenic region wherein an intergenic region begins either upstream of the transcription initiation site or downstream of the polyadenylation site, and said probe being complementary to a non-repetitive portion of the target. 